1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a powered hand tool used to secure or remove a cap on a bottle or vial. The hand tool has a housing portion which the user holds and includes switches for the user to control the capping/decapping action. The capping action results from a motor causing a plunger to move downward, thereby actuating a plurality of jaws to secure the cap on the bottle or vial.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some bottles or vials to contain liquid samples or other laboratory materials have an opening thereinto which includes a lip onto which a cap is crimped to seal the bottle or vial. In general, for example, the crimp cap can be aluminum or steel, with sample diameters of from about 8 mm to about 22 mm, or greater. Typically the crimp cap has a cylindrical portion which fits over the bottle lip and is then crimped thereunder; the crimp cap has a top with a circular opening therein; the inside of the crimp cap contains a rubber circular portion next to the crimp cap and an elastomeric circular portion next to the bottle, although many variations are known. In use, a sample is placed into the bottle or vial and a crimp cap is placed thereon. A crimping tool is then employed to crimp the crimp cap onto the bottle. When a portion of the sample is to be removed, a syringe is inserted through the rubber and elastomeric circular portions and the desired amount of the sample is removed.
Alternatively, there are a number of bottle capping machines currently used to apply screw caps onto bottles. In general such machines employ a reciprocating mechanism to reciprocate a screw cap applying spindle assembly through a capping cycle. A screw cap chuck, typically constructed of a tool grade steel, is attached to the spindle. These machines operate at a predetermined downward stroke while applying a pre-determined torque to the screw cap. An example of such an apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,822, which is incorporated herein by reference.